”I’ve been here a very short time, only 10 days, and the outcomes of international collaboration are just beyond what I had the hope for”, says Dr. Marc Duhamel after an intensive visit at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK).

Mr. Duhamel is an Associate Professor in Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada. After a fifteen-year career in the federal public service focused on public policy towards markets, industry and businesses, his research interests diversified from microeconomics, public economics and industrial organization to law and economics and industrial policy. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of British Columbia and his research interests have led him to focus on business transfers and takeovers, entrepreneurship, competition, innovation and SME management practices.

His most recent research focuses on demographic change and business transfers, hybrid entrepreneurship, and intersectional entrepreneurship. Delving into world of business transfers he came across with research conducted by experts at SeAMK.

“I was impressed by the quality and the depth of the shared understanding of business transfers that I was not getting from the French, mostly qualitative, literature”, Mr. Duhamel says.

His interest in the research conducted by SeAMK experts and researchers grew, and names such as Dr. Elina Varamäki, Dr. Anmari Viljamaa, Dr. Sanna Joensuu-Salo and Dr. Juha Tall kept popping up.

In Transeo meeting in 2019 Mr. Duhamel met professor Lex van Teeffelen and asked him who to follow in business transfer research. Mr. van Teeffelen suggested Finland. Later Mr. Duhamel and Mrs. Elina Varamäki, Vice President of SeAMK, met for the first time. From SeAMK Mr. Duhamel found shared expertise in hybrid entrepreneurship and in business transfers, both main subjects he was going to research on a sabbatical leave.

“That’s how I decided I have to go to Finland, because if I don’t talk to Anmari or Elina or the others, basically, I’m always going to be six to twelve months behind them from their publication. And given the publication process that I know of, generally, once something is actually published, the research was done three, four years back. So for me it was very important, because how do I know whether the things I find interesting or the questions I have, haven’t been solved by them and I’m five, six, seven years behind. That was really the idea that I wanted to come here.”

According to Marc Duhamel, the trip to Finland and Seinäjoki has given a lot. Personal relationships between researchers are extremely important for the exchange of information and the development of cooperation. The work done by SeAMK experts in business transfer research is impressive, and he sees many practices that can be taken to his own university. In addition, Mr. Duhamel sees a lot of similarities between Finland and Canada, and between SeAMK and Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, when it comes to the operating environment of companies and business transfer landscape.

The unfolding collaboration between Quebec and SeAMK holds promise not only for advancing academic research in SME business transfers but also for shaping policy and raising awareness internationally. As the two entities explore common ground, the potential for impactful collaboration in the years ahead seems imminent.

Marc Duhamel, Ph.D.

Short Biography

After a fifteen-year career in the federal public service focused on public policy towards markets, industry and businesses, his research interests diversified from microeconomics, public economics and industrial organization to law and economics and industrial policy. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of British Columbia and his research interests have led him to focus on business transfers and takeovers, entrepreneurship, competition, innovation and SME management practices. His most recent research focuses on demographic change and business transfers, hybrid entrepreneurship, and intersectional entrepreneurship.

Main Affiliation

Associate Professor on sabbatical (2023-2024)

Department of Finance and Economics

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Other Affiliations

Adjunct Professor, Université de Moncton

Adjunct Professor, University of Windsor

Scientific Director, Observatoire du repreneuriat et de transfert d’entreprise du Québec

Co-Investigator, Quebec Youth Research Network Chair

Researcher, Institute for Research on SMEs, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Member, Canadian Team, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Consortium

Member, L’Observatoire de la philantropie, ESG UQAM/EGUQTR

Personal website: www.uqtr.ca/marc.duhamel

LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/marc-duhamel-99179418